1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hospital-type gown which may be in the form of a launderable gown, and in particular to a gown of the type used by doctors, nurses, nurse's aides, and the like.
2. Prior Art Statement
Hospital-type gowns are widely used in hospitals, nursing homes, rest homes, doctor's offices, and the like by health professionals, such as doctors, nurses, nurse's aides, and the like; and, particularly where there is the possibility of coming into contact with contaminated body fluids, every effort is made to protect the health professional. Health professionals routinely use (wear) such hospital-type gowns to either perform surgery or assist in surgery, draw blood, work with specimens containing contaminated fluids, or work where there might be a spill of contaminated fluids. Especially in instances where patients may have Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), the health professional wants to have as much protection as possible.
Hospital-type gowns proposed heretofore usually are provided with sleeves each terminating in a cuff at the outer end which is usually in the form of a stretchable cuff made of stockinette material. Ordinarily the stretchable stockinette cuffs of prior art gowns do not have optimum hydrophobic properties. Even though health professionals such as nurses, for example, often wear short stretchable rubber gloves with their prior art gowns, such gloves often do not completely cover the cuffs of their gowns leaving exposed areas at the upper ends of such cuffs. Thus, present hospital-type gowns have a deficiency in that the stretchable cuffs provided at the outer ends of sleeves of such gowns do not provide protection against liquid permeating therethrough.